Rae D. Magdon has a new FF fantasy out: Song of Stars.
Sefina, a young orphan, studies music at the Temple of Dreams. She loves to sing with her best friend Mirae, but their voices aren’t the same.
Mirae’s voice heals the sick while Sefina’s is ordinary. Unable to compete with Mirae’s miracles, Sefina longs for acknowledgment from Lady Lirath, their demanding music instructor.
When their temple’s leader dies, Sefina must compete with Mirae for the position—not only against a miracle-worker, but the woman she loves.
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Excerpt
Mirae — Firstday
DAWNBELL TOLLS THE LOW, melodic notes of morning. Mirae stands upon a beach of black sand, gazing across a vast ocean of stars. The waves glow like the last rays of sunset, rusty orange bleeding into deep crimson, twilight purples pooling into blues so dark they border on black. Faint white lights float like lanterns upon the surface, rolling and bobbing. Beckoning.
Mirae smiles. She has died and moved on to the sea of stars, just as planned. Not the worst end, from what she remembers. Better to die for a cause than in a sickbed. Besides, it seems peaceful here. The breeze is cool against her skin, its brine sharp in her nose. It smells like Farsea, the village of her birth. She steps into the surf, bare feet sinking into the wet sand. Waves swirl around her ankles as though to tug her deeper. She spreads her arms wide to catch the sea spray, feeling lighter than she has in two long years. At last, she can rest.
Dawnbell tolls again, booming and insistent over the ocean’s hiss. A strange sound to hear in the afterlife. Mirae frowns, glancing over her shoulder. There are no buildings here. No bell towers. There is only the beach, which stretches some distance before disappearing into a line of gray fog. She turns once more toward the ocean, only to pause as a strange echo reaches her ears. A familiar voice sings from somewhere beyond the fog, a rich alto that starts soft, but grows louder and more resonant.
The sun’s begun to rise, the moon has gone away.
Mirae stops. She knows that voice. Those words. “Sefina…”
Open up your eyes and greet a brand new day.
A stinging lump stops up Mirae’s throat. If there’s anyone she regrets leaving behind, it’s her Sefina. She stands ankle-deep in the waves, her previous certainty shaken. Part of her wants to dive into the sea and seek refuge beneath the surface, a reward she’s more than earned. Another part longs to follow Sefina’s voice into the fog, in hopes of seeing her face one last time.
Author Bio
Rae D. Magdon is a writer of queer and lesbian fiction. She believes everyone deserves to see themselves fall in love and become a hero: especially lesbians, bisexual women, trans women, and women of color. She has published over eleven novels through Desert Palm Press, spanning a wide variety of genres. She is the recipient of a 2016 Rainbow Award (Fantasy/Sci-Fi) and a twice-nominated GCLA finalist (Fantasy/Sci-Fi). In addition to her novels and short stories, she writes a sapphic supernatural mystery podcast: Room 13. When she isn’t working on original projects, she spends her time writing fanfiction.